Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Virginia Willcock has crafted a wine that is complex, edgy and lean, and dances on a razor's edge. Enticing oyster-shell notes on an ultra-fine and tight palate, finishing with schisty minerality that is taut and dry.
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James Suckling
An extraordinary chardonnay that turns up the complexity and excitement factor to the limit. Smells of flinty lemons and grapefruit, hints of peaches and smart oak influence that adds spicy/nutty elements and an oyster-shell-like edge. The palate shape and texture are flawless; it completely fills the mouth with pithy lemon, grapefruit and nectarine flavors. The acidity is pitch-perfect, and the length is superb. Drink now to 2020+.
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Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker Virginia Willcock has taken Vasse Felix's top Chardonnay to extraordinary heights this year. Chardonnay yields in the region were down, and this wine reflects an extra level of concentration and power as a result. Grilled peaches and tangerines provide ample flesh, yet the wine remains focused and refreshing through the long, mouthwatering finish. Drink now–2025.
Editors' Choice. -
Wine Spectator
Shows a sublime amount of detail, with a sleek, polished and elegant frame. Intense and focused, offering vivid peach, Key lime, hazelnut and tobacco flavors that gain momentum on the long, terrific finish. Drink now through 2026.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.